The present invention relates generally to cleaning processes, and more particularly, to methods and systems for cleaning metallic and other contaminants from ceramic, glass, quartz and silicon components of a semiconductor processing chamber.
Semiconductor process chambers are complex assemblies of very precisely shaped components of many different types of materials. Typically the semiconductor process chambers are formed of aluminum or stainless steel. The components within the semiconductor process chamber can include ceramics, stainless steel, aluminum, glass, quartz and various silicon compounds (SiO, SiO2, SiC, etc.) and other materials. Many of these components are expensive, complex components with many precise surfaces and precise shapes.
Many types of processes are applied to semiconductor wafers in the semiconductor process chamber. Chemical residues and residues of materials removed from the semiconductor wafers are deposited on the various components inside the semiconductor process chamber. Periodically, the chemical residues and residues of materials removed from the semiconductor wafers must be cleaned and removed from the interior surfaces and components of semiconductor process chamber.
Removing these residues from the used process chamber components can be challenging and often more expensive and more difficult than replacing the used process chamber component with a corresponding new process chamber component. The used process chamber component can then be disposed of. What is needed is a more effective and efficient process for cleaning the used process chamber components sufficiently to allow reuse of the cleaned, used, process chamber components.